Which to use
“lockup” and “lookup” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,465
- “lockup” frequency rank
- #34,576
- “lookup” frequency rank
- 84041
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lockup | lookup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A jail cell; a period of incarceration in such a cell; a facility containing such cells. | An attempt to retrieve data. |
Letter map: lockup vs lookup
Shared letters muted; letters that set lockup and lookup apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. lockup (CVCCVC) and lookup (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Corpus notes: lockup and lookup
lockup and lookup are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by a single letter - c in “lockup” becomes o in “lookup”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84041, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lockup is recorded at frequency rank #49,465, classified as anoun. lookup is at rank #34,576, tagged as anoun.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 84041, this pair ranks #12,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lockup vs lookup
Shared letters: klopu. Private to "lockup": c. Private to "lookup": -.
"lockup" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lookup" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lockup" for "lookup" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lockup" vs "lookup" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "lockup" and "lookup".
- Full dictionary entry for "lockup" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lookup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #12,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lockup" and "lookup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lockup vs locum". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #12,714 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.